Then and Now: The Community Building

The transformation from a nondescript 1908 retail building on W. Main Ave. to a state-of-the-art center based on lifestyle and social justice started in 1999 when attorney Jim Sheehan purchased the Community Building.

Section:Gallery

Mon., Oct. 15, 2018

1941 – Kent Furniture Store, located at W. 35 Mai Ave., operated for a decade or so selling new and used furniture out of the 1908 building. This block was home to mostly second-hand stores, repair shops and manufacturing in plain buildings until the modern era.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
2018 – The 1908 Community Building, center, was a retail and office space for the 90 years of its existence. In 1999, attorney Jim Sheehan bought the building that most recently had been Birkebeiner Brewery and turned it into a home for his own Center for Justice and several other nonprofits concerned with social justice and environmental issues. The building, along with the Saranac Hotel, at far left, along with the smaller building in between, has state-of-the-art heating and cooling, plus water conservation infrastructure.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review